Here are some words of encouragement:
1. Remember God’s three main attributes: Omnipresence, Omnipotence, and Omniscience.
2. Remember that God is sovereign meaning He governs over all things therefore everything must be good even though it may be hard to comprehend while certain things are happening.
3. Remember that God’s will is carried out through His Providence so when we look back at things that seemed to work against us, they worked for our good. In Geneses 5:20 Joseph said to his brother ~ As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. Through the Apostle Paul God tell us in Romans 8:28 ~ And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those called according to His purpose.
4. Remember that God is in complete control. Colossians 1:17 ~ And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
The following hymn reinforces this truth:
5. Remember that we are created in His image. This brings to mind the joy an artist experiences while working on various, pictures, sculptures, and many other works. If an artist experiences great joy crafting his/her work, consider how much more abundantly the Heavenly Father rejoices in bringing about His creation.
As for human creation, David provides insight in Psalm 139:13-14 of the care God puts into each person. ~ For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
6. Remember the effects of original sin. When Adam broke the covenant he had with God in the Garden of Eden everything changed. A curse was put on all of creation. As Adam fell, the entire human race fell with him. Consequently, every human having inherited Adam’s guilt left them with a predisposition to oppose God resulting in an enormous record of sin accumulated over a lifetime that they will be held accountable before God on judgement day.
7. Remember that the Godhead (Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit) from eternity past had a plan to redeem sinful man. Prophecies throughout the Old Testament pointed to a suffering Messiah who would take on the punishment that man’s sins deserved. Jesus had to redeem sinful man because they fell so far short of God’s standard of righteousness and had such hardened hearts that they by their own will would not seek Him.
8. For those who acknowledge their natural corruption before God which has resulted in sinful thoughts, words, and deeds and see the only means for redemption is in Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the Cross at Calvary, they will have a restored relationship with God and a peace beyond all understanding. Philippians 4:7 ~ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
9. Consider how this peace is anecdote for the worries and troubles in this life. There is no peace when we labor over our affairs without Jesus. It is so easy to forget that by His shed blood we have a restored relationship with the one who created and sustains all that is seen and unseen. Jesus is our mediator and High Priest.
1 Timothy 5-6 ~ For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.
Hebrews 4:14-16 ~ Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
10. Consider God’s complete restorative plan for you. God does not simply redeem people and push a button on them until their battery runs out.
In closing I leave you with these verses.
John 6:39 ~ And this is the will of Him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those He has given me but raise them up at the last day.
Romans 8:30 ~ And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified.
Philippians 1:6 ~ And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
In His Image 